pridmore



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. E. PRIDMORE.

GRAIN BINDER.

Patentd June 1, 1886.

INVENTOR EnryElrdmlw 4 v I A? (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet .2.

H. E. PRIDMORE.

GRAIN BINDER. I No. 343,152. Patented June 1, 1886.

WITNESSES INVENTOR .HnryEPn'dmora.

N. PEYERS. Pnm-mhn m m. Washington. a. c,

NITED STATES PATENT Erica HENRY E. PRIDMORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCOR- MICK HARVESTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN-BINDER.

rEPIiGIE'ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 343,152, dated June1, 1886.

Application filed February 24, 1885. Serial No. 156,859. (No model.)

In a number of binders constructed by the Mc-- Connick HarvestingMachine Company during the last season a peculiar form of table-trip, socalled, was employed as auxiliary to the outside tripping andcompressing fingers, consisting in a longitudinally-slotted metallic armhinged at the inner side of the bindingreceptacle, beneath the decking,and rising through the usual slot provided therein for the play ofbinder-arm, which slot, of course, was widened, as in the newarrangement the binder-arm played between the lateral bars of thetable-trip, and of such length that its outer end reached and vibratedbetween said compressing-fingers according as it happened to beactuated. In its construction at that time this table-trip was closed atits outer endthat is to say, the two side arms of which it was composedcurved and met integrally at that point. This was objectionable, asstraws would frequently be carried by the binderarm against the closedend of the trip and impede its movement up or down, so that it wouldeither fail to yield for one gavel or else to return to position for thenext, in which latter case the binder would continue to operateincessantly. The table-trip rested upon and was supported in an elevatedposition by an arm from a tripping rockshaft connected by another armwith the outside trip-fingers, so that by the movement of either or bothtripping devices against its respective arm from the rock-shaft saidrook-shaft would be oscillated and the binding mechanism set in motion.The trip-fingers, also, instead of being hinged at the end of a longsupporting-bar pivoted to the heel of the binder-arm, as in the type ofmachines at present most generally used, were adjustably secured to ablock loosely journaled on a supporting rock-shaft, and alongside thisblock was placed a crank keyed to said rock-shaft and having a laterallug taking into an elongated slot in the side of said supportingblock,so that as the fingers rocked outward they might, by bringing one end ofthe slot against the finger, eventually force back said crank and rockthe shaft to start the binder, while at the same time they had a freerange of movement sufficient to allow for the accumulation of the gavelbefore such starting. In this latter arrangement also there was dangerof the slot becoming clogged, and thus interfering with the perfectaction of the outside trip. These features have been made the subject ofan application filed by Villiam It. Baker jointly with myself on the29th day of September, 1884, No. 144,247, and need not be furtherexplained herein.

My present invention relates to the two instrumentalities above advertedto, and is as follows:

First. It has been found, as already intimated, that the uniting of theside bars of the table-trip at the outer end is objectionable, since thebinder-arm, playing up and down between the bars, frequently packs graininto the slot at said end, where it lodges and accumulates in suchmanner as to clog the play of the trip upon its pivot and make ituncertain. Therefore I leave the bars open or disconnected at this end,carrying the slot clear through, so that any grain coming between themand pushed onward by the binder-arm may pass out without obstruction,and, to prevent their being wedged apart, I connect or brace them by anunder-curved bridge somewhat preceding this end, and dependingso farbeneath them that it will not interfere with the passage of grain.

Second. The segmental slot in the side of the block which supports thetripping-fingers also has proven to afford a lodging place fordust,chaff, and broken straw which lodge therein, owing to the play of thefinger from the adjacent crank -.arm, and accumulate until this play isso seriously hindered or limited as to affect the size of the bundles.For this reason I propose to .open an ineffective sideof this slot nearthe exterior of the block, so that any accumulations of this sort maydrop out,

IOO

a spring between the heel of their supportingblock and the outer end ofthe crank-arm from the rock-shaft on which they play, and I furtherpropose to make this spring adjustable, to control the facility withwhich they yield. This, it will be understood, is independent of orsupplementary to the spring heretofore used between the tripshaft andthe lockingdo.

Fourth. hen the arms from the trip-shaft, acting, respectively, with thetable-trip and with the outside trippingfingers, are both integral andpermanently applied to the trip shaft, so that one cannot be removedwithout the other, the tripping will oftentimes be too delicate, atleast in heavy or wet grain, so that the bundles are made too quicklyand too small. To obviate this, I make these arms in dependent each ofeach, and secure them independently to the shaft, so that one or theother may be removed to permit the action of but a single one of thetripping instrumentalities where the state of the crop is such as tomake this advisable.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively plan and sideelevations of my improved table-trip; Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, planand side elevations of my independent trippingarms from the trip-shaft;Fig. 5, a plan of the supporting-block for the outside compressing andtripping fingers; Fig. 6, a like plan with said fingers in position;Fig. 7, a side elevation of the supportingblock, and Fig. 8 a plan ofthe crank-arm sleeved to the rock-shaft upon which said block ismounted; Fig. 9, an elevation from the inner side of thesupporting-block, crank, and tripping-fingers in position, and Fig. 10aside elevation of the just-mentioned parts in the same arrangement; andFigs. 11 and 12, respectively, plan and side elevations of the foregoingparts arranged in their relative positions for conjoint operation.

' A is a metallic table-trip, hinged, as in the machine described in theabove-mentioned application, at the point a, to the uppersupporting-bar, a, of the binder-frame, and serving also, as therein,the purpose of an under compressor. This table-trip is formed of twobars united at the hinged end by a connecting-sleeve, a", integral witheach. From this they extend parallel with each other at such distanceapart as to leave a broad slot, a, for a length sufiicient toaccommodate the play of the binder-arm, which, in machines of thisconstruction, generally rises from beneath. Near their ends theyconverge slightly, and then again become parallel, leaving a somewhatnarrower slot, a, in continuation of the first, which extends through tothe air. This convergence is simply to bring them sufliciently neartogether to pass between the checks of the outside tripping and compressing fingers, and if such fingers should be placed farther apart thanusualthe convergence will not be found necessary. Just at the pointwhere they begin to converge they are connected by a subtending bridge,a which curves or bellies down, as shown, suflicientl y to escapeentanglement with the grain passing along said trip. A trip arm orlever, B, branching from the trip-shaft B, comes in contact with a ledgeon one bar of the table-trip and sustains it normally in its highestposition. Therefore it follows that whenever the'tabletrip is depressedby the accumulation of grain thereon this trip-arm is also depressed atits contiguous end, and serves as a lever to rock the trip-shaft. In theformer application the arm was represented as integral with or arrangedin fixed relation to a second triparm, B, also diverging from thetrip-shaft, but operated by the outside trippingfingers, as willpresently appear, so that both permanently worked together, and neithercould be removed without the other. This arrangemerit, as alreadyexplained, has proven to fall short of perfect efficiency under allcircumstances. I therefore form each trippingarin independently, andprovide each with a hub, b, in the present instance squared to slip overa square portion of the trip-shaft, and provide such hub with aset-screw, b, whereby it may be clamped in fixed position on said shaft,ormay be loosened and slipped laterally to leave either of the trippingdevices at rest, in order that the full effect of the accumulating grainmay come on a single instrumentality.

Instead of being square, the trip-shaft may of course be provided with aspline or feather, and the sleeve or hub on the trip-arm with acorresponding groove, the set-screws of course still being used to holdthem in adjusted position.

The outside tripping and compressing fingers, G, are mounted, as before,upon a block, 0, having an arched crown with longitudinal and transverseslots, said crown fitting the curved face of the fingers, and thetransverse slots receiving a tongue from said base, and a clampingbolt,0, passes from the base through the longitudinal slot, so that byloosening the bolt the fingers may be adjusted in and out along theblock, to diminish or increase the graina'eceiving space and theconsequent size of the gavel. This block is journaled loosely upon therock-shaft D, which, at its front end, is connected by a crank andpitman with a lever operated by a cam-track in the usual gear and camwheel, so as to be restored to position after each binding operation hasbeen concluded and the sheaf discharged.

As explained in the previous application, already referred to, thejust-mentioned supporting-block has an inwardly-projecting lug or toe,d, which comes beneath the corresponding triparin, so as to raise it androck the trip-shaft whenever, the tripping-fingers are pressedsufliciently back, and which, by means of said arm and the springbetween the tripshaft and locking-dog usual in this type of machines,aids in carrying the trippingfingers back to position whenever they havefrom any cause receded therefrom. Alongside the block a crank-arm, E, iskeyed to the supporting rock-shaft, so as to come in close proximity toone face thereof and move therewith, or itself move the shaft. Formerlythis arm had a loose connection with the block by means of a lateralprojection taking into a curved slot in the adjacent face of the block,or vice versa; but this slot being closed at each end was liable to beobstructed by chaff and broken straw. Therefore I now form it as anotch, 6, open to the air at the heel of the block, and dischargingfreely whatever debris momentarily eni ers it. WVith this expedient thelateral finger may be supplanted by the lateral sleeve from the crank,which sleeve serves as means for connection with the hinged leaf ortail-board at the foot of the bindingreceptacle, so as to open this leafwhenever the rock-shaft D is oscillated; or, instead of the slot ornotch, or sup plemental to it, the heel of the block may havelaterally-projecting lugs 6, one at top and one at bottom of the slot;or, in other words, at each extreme of the permitted movement betweenthe block and the crank,.which lugs in turn come against the adjacentedges of the crank.

To entirely obviate any possibility of dog ging, I deem it preferablethat both lugs and notch should be used concurrently.

The construction just described facilitates still another improvement,which, however, is not necessarily dependent upon these specificfeatures, although practically beneficial therewith, and that is theapplication of a spring independent of the spring formerly used andabove alluded to, whereby the tripping-fingers may be returned toposition after depression. For this purpose the heel of the block whichsupports the fingers has, above the slot or lugs which limit its play,an offsetting lip, f, suitably formed on its under side, to serve as aseat for a spiral spring, F, while the sleeves at the end of the crankover the supporting rock-shaft have an opposing lip, f, similarly formedto receive the other end of the spring, whereby, whenever the fingersare rocked back upon the supportingshaft under the pressure of theaccumulating grain they will gradually compress said spring until theyreach the point at which the bind ing mechanism is started or theirsupportingblock engages with the crank-arm on said shaft. They willtherefore oppose an elastic resistance to the grain, and, after thebinding operation, will he certainly restored to their normal position.

In order to adjust the stress of the spring, I prefer, instead ofresting it nakedly upon the upper (or lower) lip, to interpose a disk, fhaving a seat for the adjacent end of the spring, and receiving one endof a set-screw, f, threaded into said lip, whereby the normal spacebetween its seats may be increased or diminished. Instead of saidset-screw the disk may have a screw-shank fitting into the lip, so as tobe adjusted therein. This spring, in

addition to its office in returning the trippingfingers to place, has afurther function in assisting the discharge of the bundle, since whilethis bundle is being discharged by the usual revolving ejecting-arms,the trippingfingers are necessarily depressed below the horizontal; buttheir spring is continually urging them upward against the bundle orsheaf, so that as it reaches their ends they fly up, giving to it afinal push from the machine.

It will be understood that although my above-described improvements allrelate to a single machine, and to a single object, and will, so far asI am at present aware, be used conjointly, some features of theinvention are capable of separate use in connection with mechanism ofdifferent structure, but still performing the same function oraccomplishing the same effects relatively to these as their cooperatingparts herein described.

.I claim-- 1. The table-trip formed, substantially as described, of twoparallel bars united at the receiving end and by a subtending bridgenear the lower end and open from the joint at the receiving-end to thedischarging end.

2. Thetable-trip formed, substantially asdescribed, of two parallel barsunited at the receiving end by a sleeve, or equivalent provision forahinge joint, and extending therefrom in parallelism to a point near thedischarging end, where they converge and are united by a sub-tendingbridge, and from that point again become parallel to the extreme andopen end.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of thetable'trip formed of two parallel bars united at their receiving end toafford provision for a hinge, and from that point open to thedischarging end, with the exception of a subtending bridge or brace nearsaid end, and the outside compressingfingers.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with theoutside compress ing-fingers, of a tabletrip composed of bars united atthe receiving or inner end, to afford provision for a hinge-joint, andthence parallel to near the discharging end, where they are united by asubtending bridge, and then converging and again parallel to the opendischarging end playing between said outside compressing-fingers.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with thetable-trip and outside tripping-fingers, of the tripping rockshaft andthe trip-arms extending from said rock-shaft, respectively to thetable-trip and to the tripping-fingers and independently detachable fromthe rock-shaft.

6. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of thetable-trip, the outside tripping-fingers, the tripping rock-shaftsquared at its end beneath the table-trip, and the trip-arms havingsquare sleeves and clamps and independently applied to said shaft, tooperate in connection with the table-trip and with the tripping-lingers,as set forth.

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7. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers mounted loosely upon their supporting-shaft, andhaving an open slot in their base, and a crank-arm keyed to the shaft,and having an offset playing in said slot.

8. The eombination,-substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers mounted loosely upon their supportingshaft, andhaving lateral lugs projecting from their base, and a crank-arm keyed tosaid supporting-shaft and playing, as to its crank projection, betweensaid lugs.

9. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers, a block upon which they are adjustably mountedto be moved in or out, a shaft supporting said block loosely, and acrankarm keyed to said shaft, and having an offset playing in an openslot in said block.

10. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside tripping fingers, a block upon which they are adjustably mountedto be moved in or out,and supported loosely upon a shaft connected withthe gear and cam wheel, a crank-arm keyed to said shaft to movetherewith, or cause its movement, and lugs projecting laterally fromsaid supporting block, between which the crank-arm plays.

11. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers, a block upon which they are adjustably mountedto be moved in or out, a shaft to which said block is loosely sleeved,an open slot in said block, and lugs projecting laterally at top andbottom of said slot, between which slot and lugs an offset from the armand the arm itself play.

12. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers mounted loosely upon their supportingshaft, acrank-arm keyed to said shaft and having an offset playing in a slot inthe supporting-base of said fingers, and a spring interposed betweensaid crank -arm and the fingers.

13. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside tripping fingers, the shaft upon which they are loosely mounted,a crank-arm keyed to said shaft to move therewith and restrained in itsmovement by contact with stops afforded by the base of said fingers, anda spring, adjustable as to its stress, interposed between said crankarmand the trippingfingers.

14. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers, the block upon which they are adj ustablymounted, the shaft upon which said block is loosely sleeved, a crank-armkeyed to said shaft and playing between stops afforded by said block,and a spring interposed between the block and the crank-arm.

15. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers, the block upon which they are adj ustablymounted, the shaft 'to which said block is loosely sleeved, thecrank-arm keyed to said shaft, and having a lateral offset playingbetween stops afforded by the block, the lips or lugs projecting,respectively,from the offset and from the block, and the coiled springinterposed between the two.

16. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers, the block to which they are adj ustablyattached, the shaft on which said block is loosely sleeved, thecrank-arm keyed to said shaft, and having a lateral projection playingbetween stops afforded by said block, the lips projecting, respectively,from the crank arm and from the block, the coiled spring interposedbetween said lips, and the set-screw and its disk, whereby the stress ofthe spring is adjusted.

17. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theoutside trippingfingers, the block .to which they are adjustablyattached, the shaft upon which said block is loosely mounted, the openslot and lateral lugs afforded by said block, the crankarm keyed to theshaft to play between said lugs, and having a lateral projection to workin the slot, and a spring interposed between said lateral projection andthe block.

HENRY E. PRIDMORE.

Witnesses:

J OHN V. A. HASBROOK, PAUL ARNOLD.

